Average adult withdrew around £1,500 from ATMs last year, says Link
People typically made 15 trips to ATMs in 2023 and withdrew £1,484 across the year, Link said.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The average UK adult withdrew around £1,500 from cash machines last year, according to data from ATM and cash access network Link.
It calculated that the average person aged over 16 withdrew a total of £1,484 in 2023, down from £1,564 in 2022.
People typically made 15 trips to ATMs last year.
With all the talk of a 'cashless society' I think many people will be surprised by how busy cash machines continue to be
Northern Ireland remains the most “cash heavy” part of the UK, Link said.
Banking customers in Northern Ireland withdrew £2,340 typically from ATMs last year – an increase from the £2,266 withdrawn per adult there in 2022.
The North East of England and London were the second and third most “cash heavy” locations in 2023, in terms of average withdrawals over the year, Link said.
At the other end of the spectrum, the average customer in the South West of England withdrew £1,064 during 2023.
People withdrew £81 billion from ATMs in 2023. In 2022, UK banking customers withdrew £83 billion from cash machines.
As cash use continues to decline, the number of ATMs has fallen, Link said.
By the end of 2023, Link counted 38,480 free-to-use machines, down from 40,869 at the end of 2022. There were also 9,921 charging ATMs in December 2023, down from 10,384 a year earlier.
In an average week in 2023, £1.5 billion was withdrawn from UK cash machines, Link said.
This is significantly down on pre-pandemic numbers. Some £2.2 billion was withdrawn per week in 2019 and Link said it does not expect to see a return to these levels.
Link has, however, seen a trend of people typically withdrawing more cash when they do visit an ATM.
In 2023, legislation was passed as part of the Financial Services and Markets Act, to protect access to cash.
Graham Mott, director of strategy at Link said: “The good news is that there is now a law to protect access to cash. Alongside ATMs, Link will continue recommend new banking hubs and deposit services that will protect cash services across the UK.”
Natalie Ceeney, chair at Cash Access UK, said: “With all the talk of a ‘cashless society’ I think many people will be surprised by how busy cash machines continue to be.
“For millions of people, including those on low and tight budgets, digital payments aren’t always an option. Cash is essential for many.
“Crucially, there is a now a legal obligation on the banks to ensure that people and small businesses will still be able to withdraw and bank cash across the UK.
“This applies to ATMs and also face-to-face services, which is why as bank branches close, we are rolling out banking hubs to ensure that people who need cash can still access it.”
Here are the average values of ATM withdrawals per adult across 2023, according to Link:
Northern Ireland: £2,340
London: £1,684
Scotland: £1,674
North West: £1,670
Yorkshire and the Humber: £1,658
North East: £1,718
West Midlands: £1,556
East Midlands: £1,379
Wales: £1,441
East of England: £1,242
South East: £1,145
South West: £1,064
And here are the total average withdrawals per UK adult from 2019 to 2023:
2019: £2,193
2020: £1,534
2021: £1,462
2022: £1,564
2023: £1,484
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.